SUBWAY® Pro Cycling team missed opportunity

The SUBWAY® Pro Cycling Team missed an opportunity to push for the top of the podium at the Powernet Tour of Southland when the individual Time Trial was cancelled this morning due to a wintery blast.

The team had come close to the top step of the podium finishing second on three stages during racing and were confident of getting a result in the time trial.

Heavy rain, hail and snow forced the cancellation of the time trial at Winton but after extensive checks of the course and consultation with local and national weather forecasters, organisers determined it was safe to run the Tour’s final stage from Winton to Invercargill.

“It was a shame the time trial was called off,” SUBWAY® Pro Cycling’s General Manager Hayden Godfrey said.

“But I totally understood where the organisers were coming from. It was terrible conditions that would have not only impacted on the riders but would have been tough for the marshals and officials standing on the side of the road.”

Godfrey said it was a shame SUBWAY® Pro Cycling’s Westley Gough did not get to wear his National Champion Time Trial skin suit for the first time in New Zealand, but the Bike NZ National squad endurance rider had decided to not start today as he was feeling unwell.

“Wes (Gough) hadn’t been feeling a hundred, and with the Oceania track champs coming up we decided it was best he didn’t start today.”

So SUBWAY® Pro Cycling entered the tour’s final stage with its four remaining riders, having also lost Ian Smallman after a crash yesterday.

Nineteen year old Josh Atkins (Powernet) started the day in the yellow jersey with just over a one minute lead on Tim Gudsell (Pure Black Racing), Patrick Bevan (Ascot Park) and Chris Macic (Share the Road).

After weathering several attacks Atkins finished just six seconds behind the stage winner, Bevin, to be the youngest ever winner of the Tour of Southland.

SUBWAY® Pro Cycling’s Paul Odlin was in the day’s first break, and came home with the leaders recording the same time as stage winner Bevin; one hour 38 minutes and eight seconds. Odlin moved up on general classification to finish ninth overall after more than 900 kilometres of racing in very challenging conditions.

Odlin’s SUBWAY® Pro Cycling teammate Sam Horgan also came home this afternoon in the leading bunch and finished the tour in the top twenty.

SUBWAY® Pro Cycling’s two other remaining riders Nick Lovegrove and Pete Latham both finished the final stage comfortably inside the top half of the field.

“It was a tough week,” Godfrey said. “”There were some real Southland tour conditions that tested the riders and at times the officials. The team was solid all week but it was a shame we didn’t get the stage win we were looking for.”

SUBWAY® Pro Cycling now turns its attention to the final round of the Benchmark Tour on 19 November followed by the Round Taupo event on November 26.

Stage 8 results
Patrick BEVIN (U23) Ascot Park Hotel 1:38:08 1; Joe CHAPMAN Creation Signs - L&M Group Racing ST 2; Marc RYAN Calder Stewart ST 3; Dion SMITH (U23) H&J's Outdoor World-Avanti Plus ST 4; Kieran HAMBROOK (U23) Kia Motors ST 5; Chris MACIC Share The Road ST 6; Andi BAJC The Southland Times ST 7; Tim GUDSELL Pure Black Racing ST 8; Scott LYTTLE Pure Black Racing ST 9; Jason ALLEN Calder Stewart ST 10; Sam HORGAN Subway Pro Cycling ST 11
 

General Classification
Josh ATKINS (U23) PowerNet 21:16:39 1 00:16; Patrick BEVIN (U23) Ascot Park Hotel @ 00:57 2 00:16; Tim GUDSELL Pure Black Racing @ 00:59 3 00:10; Chris MACIC Share The Road @ 01:13 4 00:18; Shem RODGER Pure Black Racing @ 02:29 5 00:02; Scott LYTTLE Pure Black Racing @ 02:52 6 00:04; Andi BAJC The Southland Times @ 03:00 7; Marc RYAN Calder Stewart @ 03:37 8 00:02; Paul ODLIN Subway Pro Cycling @ 03:57 9 00:13; Dion SMITH (U23) H&J's Outdoor World-Avanti Plus @ 04:53 10.
 

Team’s classification
Pure Black Racing 63:54:49, PowerNet @ 18:20, Share The Road @ 26:37, Calder Stewart @ 28:11, Ascot Park Hotel @ 29:34, Subway Pro Cycling @ 32:55, H&J's Outdoor World-Avanti Plus @ 33:15, Ultimo-HGM @ 1:04:22, Kia Motors @ 1:05:18, Radio Sport @ 1:44:48
For more information about the Powernet Tour of Southland see www.tourofsouthland.com